Of Christmas Trees, Kittens and Captain America
by embrace-the-deception
Summary: The little bauble has hung on the Christmas tree for as long as the Sterling-Duval kids can remember. Why does their daddy hide cute notes in it for their dad? What makes it so special? After an accident involving a crazy eight year old, a superhero and a Christmas tree, their parents finally reveal the story behind the tradition. Daddy!Niff, fluff, slight suggestiveness. ONESHOT


**With Christmas just around the corner, I suppose it's my duty as a Niffler to write a cute-as Christmas Niff fic. So I did. **

**Daddy!Niff as well as a flashback to their teenage years, fluffy cuteness, kittens and CAPTAIN AMERICA! (Strangely enough, he's not actually one of my favourite Avengers. That's reserved for Ironman and the stunning Hawkeye. And Black Panther...)**

**Enough with this rambling! Onwards!**

* * *

With a scowl on his face, Noah stormed down the hall towards his sister's room. He flung the door open dramatically, surprising the fourteen year old sitting on her bed with her computer on her lap. She looked up at the doorway then sighed when she realised who was standing there.

"What do you want?" she muttered.

"Where's Captain America?"

The girl frowned. "What?"

"Don't pretend!" Noah huffed "I know you took him! I left him on my bed when I went to school, and now he's gone! What did you do with him!?"

Molly tossed her head, brushing back an annoying lock of brunette hair from her face. "I didn't do anything to your Captain America. Dad probably threw him out because he's ancient."

Noah's eyes widened. "Dad wouldn't do that! Daddy gave it to me! It was his when he was a kid and Dad wouldn't ever get rid of it!"

"Whatever. Can you leave me alone? I'm trying to do my homework."

The boy grinned. "More like talking to your boyfriend."

"I don't have a boyfriend," Molly said defensively. "He doesn't know I exist. So there."

Noah rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said, copying his sister's tone. "Can you help me find Captain America then? That's if you didn't _take _him." The girl glared at him and got to her feet, settling her laptop on her bed. "Fine. If it'll get you to leave me alone, I'll come and help you look for your stupid toy. And for the last time, it wasn't me."

The pair headed back out into the hall and Molly immediately went to her brother's room and pushed open the door. She raised an eyebrow at the sight. Normally it was a mess, but it seemed to have been cleaned – at least a little. She could see some of the floor now.

"See! He's not there!" Noah pointed at his made-up bed, which Molly would have bet hadn't been made when they left for school. There was only one person it could have been.

"Daddy probably started cleaning up your disgusting room because it started to smell," she said, closing the door "We'll have to go ask him what he did with it."

Noah nodded and dashed off, dirty blonde curls bouncing. Molly followed after him a little more slowly, tugging at her own hair. _I wonder if Daddy would let me cut my hair the way I want if I ask really nicely. I really want it shorter_. She'd been thinking about a pixie cut but one half of her crazy set of parents refused to let her do it. Apparently it was too 'drastic' a change. But she was wearing him down – she could tell. It wouldn't take long before he gave in or at least compromised.

She caught sight of her brother hiding in the living room doorway and sighed, starting to tell him they had to actually look for their father, not hover in doorways, but Noah shushed her with a finger to his mouth before pointing into the living room. Frowning, Molly hid as well and peeked inside.

She smiled. Her dad was there, fiddling with the Christmas tree they'd put up last week. Neither she nor Noah could wait until they could open their presents, but they had to survive on excitement and their other dad's brilliant Christmas cookies for a little while longer. Molly tilted her head as she watched her brunette dad pick a particular ornament off the tree and stare at it as it lay in the palm of his hand, smiling faintly. She recognised it instantly. The old bauble had been a part of Christmas for as long as she and Noah could remember. It had always been on the tree and every year, as she and her brother opened their presents, their daddy would pull it off the tree and give it to their dad with his trademark goofy smile. Dad would open it up – it split in half on a hinge – and take out the little piece of paper that would be inside it. He could never stop smiling when he read what was on it. Molly had gotten hold of it one year – it was all gooey love stuff, about being together forever and whatnot.

Noah tugged at her shirt and she looked away from her dad towards him. He gestured for her to follow him into the kitchen, and when they were safely out of earshot, he turned to her and asked, "What is it about that ball? It's really weird."

"Daddy puts love notes in it every year." Molly shrugged "It's just couple stuff."

Noah made a face and Molly laughed. He was only eight – he didn't understand all this 'love' business.

"What are you two up to?"

They both jumped at the sound of their father's voice and they turned to see the blonde man standing in the kitchen doorway, one eyebrow raised. Noah completely forgot about the bauble and jumped at his father excitedly. "Daddy, did you move my Captain America? I can't find him!"

He nodded. "I was picking up a few things in your room and I put him on your bookshelf out of the way. I didn't want him to get broken."

"Thanks Daddy!" Noah raced off to go collect his toy and Molly smiled as her father rolled his eyes. "Honestly, that boy needs to get that room clean."

"He might if you stopped doing it for him."

Molly smiled as her other father entered the kitchen and nudged his husband playfully in the ribs. He grinned and ducked away as his partner poked back, looking offended. "I can't help it if I can't stand the sight of it! It's awful in there!"

"Maybe you should just lock him in there until he cleans it," the brunette said, reaching into the cookie jar and grabbing one out. Molly nodded. "You wouldn't even have to let him out, you know. Just leave him in there."

They all laughed, quietening down a little as they heard Noah run past the kitchen, shouting in his Captain America voice, "Come on! We have to save the world from the alien invaders! The Martians are coming!"

"You're going to be devastated when he breaks that, hon," the brunette said, taking a bite of the cookie.

"He won't. He loves it too much. And he knows I'll kill him if he does."

The sentence was punctuated with a crash, a shout and the sound of something shattering. Everyone's eyes widened and they raced towards the commotion. They rushed into the living room at the same time Noah looked up with terrified eyes at the Christmas decorations he'd just crushed under his feet. From the look of the wonky tree, he'd stumbled into it and knocked some of the ornaments off. Captain America was still held tightly in his hand, undamaged, but that wasn't what scared Noah. Molly could see the dark blue shards under his sneaker – the same colour as their dad's bauble.

The girl glanced at her father and was surprised to see him looking _furious_– and she was a little scared herself. Noah moved his foot from the wreckage, wincing at the crumbling sound.

"I-I'm sorry," he mumbled "It was an accident…"

"Nick…" Molly stepped back as her normally smiling father tried to calm his partner down but he was interrupted. The brunette pointed at the doorway and said in a low, controlled voice, "Get out. Go to your room. Now."

It was the final word that scared Noah into moving, but it was too slow for his father, who growled, "Go!"

Tears began to fall down Noah's face as he looked between his parents, lost. "I'm sorry."

"I don't want to see you right now, Noah."

The boy raced from the room, trying to hold back more tears. Molly watched, rooted to the spot now as her dad bent down over the remains of his shattered bauble, and of the few other decorations that had been broken. The last she saw was her daddy examining the tree with a frown before she pulled herself together and ran for her brother's room.

She found him folded into a ball on his bed, clutching Captain America to his chest and trying his hardest not to cry. Swallowing hard, she sat down next to him and let him rest against her side.

"I d-didn't mean t-o," Noah hiccupped "I said I-I was sorry!"

"Dad's angry right now. He just needs to calm down," Molly comforted him, but even she was shocked. She'd never seen her father act that way. He'd never gotten so mad before, especially over something so small. She rubbed her brother's back the way she'd seen her dad do to her daddy when their grandmother had died and he'd been upset. He sniffed.

They heard footsteps coming towards the room and Noah closed his eyes, while Molly looked up to see which of her fathers it was. She gave a small smile when she saw her daddy there, looking sad himself. He walked over and sat on the bed with them. Noah looked up at him with wide, watery eyes and their father opened his arms, inviting him for a hug. He accepted instantly, crawling into his arms and resting against his chest.

"It's okay, Noah. Your dad was pretty upset, but it's alright now. You didn't break his special one."

Both children stared at him in confusion. "But," Noah mumbled "I did…"

"You broke a different one. Dad's is still on the tree."

Noah nodded, his tears starting to subside as his father hugged him. Hesitantly, Molly spoke up. "Why did Dad get so mad?"

The blonde man smiled at her. "Like I said, that ball's pretty special to him."

"But why?" she asked "I don't get it."

Her father sighed. "I think that's a story both of us should tell you. Come on – I think your dad will have calmed down by now."

He stood up, carrying his gangly, skinny son with ease, and Molly followed them back into the living room. The mess had been cleared away and her dad was holding onto the real bauble tightly as he sat on the couch. He looked at them as they walked in and immediately held out his arms. Noah hesitated but quickly slipped from one parent's arms to the other, sitting beside him on the couch and nestling into his side.

"I'm sorry, Noah. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that."

"I'm sorry too," the boy said quietly as Molly settled herself down on the floor beside her blonde father. "I didn't mean to break your special ball, even if I didn't break it."

The brunette chuckled. "It's okay. It was an accident. But I suppose you want to know why it's so special?"

Both of the children nodded, Molly particularly intrigued to hear the story. Her parents shared a glance and smiled, before her dad began.

"It was when your father and I moved away from home and had our own place for the first time…"

* * *

It was small. It was a little dirty. There was a funny smell in one corner of the bedroom and there was mould growing on the wall of the bathroom.

But it was theirs. It was home.

Jeff smiled as he leaned back against the couch and watched his boyfriend's excited expression as he picked out the first of his presents.

"If you got me something expensive…" Nick warned, glancing in Jeff's direction questioningly. "You know we haven't got that sort of money."

If they were technical about it, they had all the money in the world – Jeff's father was an important figure in an important media company and if they ever needed money, he'd be more than happy to give it to them. But neither of them liked the idea of taking money from him. They wanted to make it on their own and Jeff was fine with doing it that way.

_Doesn't mean I can't be in my father's debt just a little, if it makes Nick happy_, Jeff thought to himself with a smile. "Don't worry. I haven't got you anything too expensive."

Nick raised an eyebrow but unwrapped the present. Jeff watched him, his thoughts starting to wander a little. Their first Christmas alone. They'd been together since sophomore year but never spent Christmas together – always with family. Now it was just them. Their own little family. Soon to be expanded…

"What're these?" Nick held up the small bowls and collection of cat toys with a smile growing on his face.

"I didn't want to wrap it up – I thought it might die," Jeff chuckled "Check the bedroom."

Nick was up before he finished speaking and in his head, the blonde counted down. _Three, two one… _Right on cue, Nick made a noise that sounded like a cross between a squeal and 'aww' and within seconds he was back, carrying the small black and white kitten in his arms.

"It's so little!"

"He was abandoned," Jeff explained "I felt bad, and I knew you wanted a cat. He hasn't got a name though."

Nick looked positively enraptured by the tiny kitten and he murmured to it with a soft smile, "Domino. Your name is Domino. You look like one."

Jeff shook his head at his boyfriend. He wouldn't stop fussing over the kitten and it took a few minutes before he remembered there were more presents. Holding Domino in one hand, the kitten half-asleep and purring, he handed Jeff his present before taking his next one.

By the end of it, Jeff had ended up with the latest iPhone (courtesy of his father), a cookbook full of amazing looking cookie recipes from his mother, a pile of CDs from his older brother and a photo album from his boyfriend, full of photos from the past six months - since they'd moved into their apartment in LA. Nick had ended up with the kitten, a book about cats from his little sister and some money from his mother – 'to treat you and Jeff to something special over Christmas'. Jeff's heart started to flutter as he remembered there was still one more present left to give – the most important one of all, and the most nerve-wracking.

"Nick," he started. The brunette lifted his head from playing with Domino. "Yeah?"

"I want you to get up and look at the Christmas tree."

Nick frowned. Confused, he left the kitten on the ground and did as he was told, Jeff getting to his feet as well. The brunette alternated between looking at the tree and his boyfriend. "What?"

"See anything different?"

"No…" Nick said slowly.

"Anything… new?"  
_  
Don't make me point it out_… Jeff thought anxiously as Nick studied the tree. It wasn't amazing by anyone's standards, but everything had been bought by them, everything belonged to them – and that made it special. Nick reached out, fingers brushing a dark blue ball hanging at eye level on the tree. "That doesn't look familiar…"

Jeff sighed in relief. "Take it off."

His boyfriend stared at him, utterly confused, but pulled it off the tree and shifted it around from hand to hand. "What about it…" He trailed off as he noticed the hinge and the faint line of where the halves met.

"Open it." Jeff was too afraid to speak in anything over a whisper. Nick gently pulled the two halves apart with a click and his jaw dropped as he saw what was inside, an audible gasp escaping him.

"Nick, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me," Jeff said, getting down onto one knee, his voice shaking "And I don't know where I'd be if I hadn't met you. You've kept me sane, you've made me laugh and while yes, you've made me cry too, you're also the only person who makes me feel alive."

Nick was staring at him, eyes wide. Jeff ploughed on – he had to finish now. "I love you more than anything, Nick. You're amazing, stunningly attractive, funny, and so much more. I know you think it's silly, but I believe in soulmates and I know you're mine. There's no doubt in my mind about that." He took a deep breath to finish. "I've only known you since high school but I want to spend all the rest of the time I have with you, so I wanted to ask if you'd agree to marry me. One day, at least."

Nick's silence was deafening. Jeff's throat tightened and he started to panic. Had he just made the biggest mistake of his life? Before the actual proposal, he couldn't have thought of anything better than asking his boyfriend to marry him. They loved each other, they both wanted to be with each other forever – marriage was kind of the next step, wasn't it? But maybe it was too soon. Maybe he'd scared him.

He barely registered Nick falling to his knees in front of him, only noticing when the brunette kissed him fiercely. He returned it with just as much fire, hands reaching up to grab at his hair and neck and keep him there. They finally broke apart and Jeff saw tears in Nick's eyes.

"Of course I'll marry you, you idiot. But the ring… it must have cost a lot…"

Jeff looked down at the ring in question. Nick hadn't taken it out of its hiding place in the ball so it was still nestled in the white fabric, gleaming white gold and studded with black diamonds in a groove along the centre. So yeah, it had been pretty expensive. He owed his father so much that he'd probably still be paying it off when he was eighty, despite the fact the man had said there was no need for repayment. But for Nick?

"Nothing costs too much for you, Nick," he said softly, taking his boyfriend's hands. _Fiancé. _He smiled. "You deserve the best and if I can give that to you, I will."

Nick chuckled. Jeff took the ring from the bauble and slipped on the brunette's finger, kissing the back of his hand.

"I love you," Nick said.

Jeff leaned up and kissed him gently on the lips, moving back just enough to say, "I love you too."

* * *

"We didn't get married for another few years – we saved up for it ourselves, rather than let your grandpa pay for it – but ever since then, Daddy hangs this on the tree and puts little messages inside it, reminding me that he loves me."

Nick smiled, showing his children the small ball he still held in his hand and letting Molly take it from him. She clicked it open gently and smiled.

"There's already one in there!"

Nick glanced at his husband – the blonde shrugged. "I always put it in there early. But you're not allowed to read it until Christmas, okay?"

Molly clipped it shut and held it out for her father. Nick shook his head and looked down at his son, staring at him with wide, curious eyes. "Why don't you go hang it back on the tree, Noah?"

The boy looked nervous. "I don't want to break it…"

"Go on." Nick put the ball in his hand and gestured to the tree. With a smile, Noah got to his feet and carefully hung the decoration on the highest branch he could reach easily. He stood back and admired his work for a moment with a bright smile. They were all distracted for a moment by Jeff reaching over to his daughter and ruffling her hair – she squeaked in surprise and shoved him away.

"Daddy!"

Noah giggled and picked up his Captain America toy. "I have to go. I've got a world to save!" His laughs echoed as he raced from the room and towards his own. Molly rolled her eyes, then looked slyly at Jeff. Nick shook his head and smiled to himself – he knew exactly what she was up to.

"Daddy…"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"_Please _can I cut my hair?"

Jeff sighed and looked at his daughter carefully. Nick didn't see anything wrong with the style Molly wanted, but while she was slowly wearing Jeff down, it didn't appear that he'd be changing his mind any time soon. But he was surprised when his husband said, "Alright. But on one condition."

He'd never seen Molly look so excited. "Anything!"

"You help Noah clean his room. Properly."

Molly frowned and mulled it over for all of a second before brightening up. She sprang to her feet and ran out, shouting for her brother. "Noah! Come on, we're going to clean your room! My awesome haircut is on the line here!"

Both men laughed at their children's antics, especially as Noah's started to complain loudly about the unfairness of it all. When they finally trailed off, Nick met his husband's eye and smiled. Jeff shifted from the floor, slipping onto the couch beside his partner and putting an arm around his waist, and the brunette nestled into his side.

"You know we'll never be out of your father's debt – and not just for the ring. He paid for our honeymoon, and almost everything to do with the surrogacies." Nick sighed. "Jeff, your father paid for our _children_."

The blonde laughed lightly and nuzzled into Nick's neck, resting his head on the other's shoulder. "The honeymoon was his wedding present to us, and he loves Molly and Noah more than anything. That's enough for him. Besides, you do know he doesn't actually want us to pay him back?"

"I know." Nick smiled, running a hand through Jeff's hair. "I just don't like the idea of…"

Jeff shushed him softly, reaching his free hand up to turn Nick's face towards him. He smirked. "Then don't think about it. Think about all the fun we had after you agreed to marry me."

Nick chuckled. "We're not nineteen anymore."

"No," Jeff muttered with a wicked smile "But you're still just as good."

The brunette smiled, kissing his partner softly. "I'm the best thing that's ever happened to you, remember?"

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! Merry Niffmas to you all!**


End file.
